About Our Branch

The
Rural Hall/Stanleyville Branch Public Library is located at 7125 Broad Street in
Rural Hall, NC. It opened in 1982 to serve the Town of Rural Hall, northern Forsyth
County and many customers from Stokes and Surry Counties. Families with children,
older adults, and employees of local businesses make up the largest segment of library
users. This branch serves a predominantly family-oriented, church-tied community.
The branch has 10,000 borrowers and more than 45,000 books.

Currently at 7,800 square feet, the building was designed for expansion to 15,000
square feet. Of note, the facility was one of the first passive solar buildings
in the state of North Carolina. When built, the south wall of the Library featured
glass-faced masonry solar walls, and a skylight to provide light and warmth to the
auditorium.

The Branch Manager is Crystal Holland.

Branch History

On June 1, 1976, the Rural Hall Branch Library opened its doors in a storefront
facility rented from Verona Kiser, located at 8114 Broad Street. The Library soon
became overcrowded, but plans for a new building did not begin until 1980.

The new building became known as the Rural Hall/Stanleyville Branch Library. It
sits on a two-acre tract purchased from Charles T. Wall, Sr., for $30,000. The building
was designed by J. Aubrey Kirby from the architectural firm J. Aubrey Kirby Associates,
Inc., at a cost of $558,515. A portion of the building’s cost was funded by a $265,000
grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission. The balance of the construction
cost was funded by voter approval in a 1974 bond referendum.

The Library officially opened on Monday, March 8, 1982, with about 10,000 books
and three additional new staff positions.

In the summer of 2002, the 780-square-foot solar atrium was converted into a new
Adult Reading Room housing bestsellers and periodicals.